Yikes -- I am horrified re the water spotting. We are planning a bathroom remodel and we felt confident in Grohe's reputation (but haven't purchased yet). I was thinking of using brushed nickel. I thought Grohe finishes had a lifetime warranty? (Maybe it only applies to certain finishes??) If the finish is etched I would think Grohe would have to do something. Having such a problem with brand new fixtures must be devastating. Has anyone had positive experiences with the brushed nickel finish I'm thinking of? Hearing about the upkeep makes me want to go back to plain old chrome.

bump

When we were about to do ours, I wanted ORB or brushed stainless and I was told . . . . hold it, hold it, hold it by people who had had them and then the decorators at the showroom. I was told they would do this, so I went with good old chrome and glad I did.

This happened to my new, beloved satin nickel Hafele pulls in the kitchen--they didn't even bother replying to my e-mail, however...but I'll try the Flitz. I hope it works for you and me too :)

I'm guessing the paste is the one we should get to take the stains off initially?

Here is a link that might be useful: if this doesn't go to products, it's on the products page

I'm very disgusted by the marks on faucet and drain of our newish Delta brushed nickel in the bathroom. I'll try some of your suggestions. I'm wondering if it's better to order stainless. Our stainless kitchen sink has been a work horse and while you see water marks (very hard water here), it's never experienced etching or any reaction to cleaning chemicals like the newer Delta brushed nickel shows.

I have had Pegasus brushed nickel faucet in for about 4 years. I don't like it but it doesn't have a problem with spotting. I bought a Kohler brushed nickel but it isn't in yet. The man (who has a good reputation) at a a plumbing supply house told me to use a liquid car wax. Haven't tried it so don't know if it works.

Was this only on brushed nickel? I'm looking at Grohe for my bathrooms but I'll stick to chrome if they're holding up better re water spots.

Our Delta has been in for 3 years in MB and looks brand new!

We put all Grohe fixtures in our 3 bathrooms this year...all in chrome. So far no problems...Grohe is famous for their chrome finish that's pretty impervious. I just wipe it with a soft cloth and all the water spots disappear.

The chrome on our Kohler Promaster kitchen faucet is not nearly as scratch-proof and shiny.

I am having a time with brushed nickel also. We built in 2004 & have replaced the ones in the master bath once already. They etched or finish came off....or whatever you want to call it. It says on the box to clean with a soft cotton cloth so that is what I do . If you clean with a microfiber cloth, the finish will come off. I just replaced the one in the PR yesterday as the finish came off when I was in a hurry & didn't realize I had the microfiber cloth in my hand & wiped them. I will never buy them again. I plan on changing the whole PR out to something more durable down the road. DD has chrome upstairs & it is fine. No problems there. Bonnie

We have had all satin nickle fixtures in one of our bathrooms since 1999 and they are still beautiful. We have never had a problem. The fixtures are from American Standard. Now we are doing a major remodel addition and looking at Grohe, oil rubbed bronze, for our master bath. Hearing the problems people are having with Grohe finish makes me very nervous.

Bump ...
Sounds like chrome may be the only finish (for the shower) that will stay looking good for the long term.
Do you think its the type of finish, the manufacturer, or the homeowner thats at fault here?
Does anyone have ORB, Tuscan Brass (Rohl), or Polished Nickel shower fixtures that have held up well? If so, what brand are they? TIA

We put satin (American Standard's version of brushed nickel) and Elizabethan Classics brushed nickel in our previous house's master bathroom and had NO problems with spots. We used microfiber "miracle cloths" on both with no problems. We also put Price Pfister ORB in the kitchen and it looked great - we had had it for about 5 months when we moved and we didn't really baby it - DH doesn't baby anything but me! The American Standard and Symmons chrome stuff we had there spotted exactly the way I would expect a very shiny finish to. (BTW, vinegar completely removed the brushed-nickel finish from the Hudson-Reed radiator/towel warmer - it leaked which left a mineral buildup, and before one attempt to fix the leak we used vinegar to remove the buildup. It also removed the nickel plating.)

In this house the PO put chrome stuff from American Standard, Delta and Gerber. ALL of it has ugly water spots, which shows up like a sore thumb on the shiny chrome. I have to wipe everything off as soon as I use it to keep it from spotting. The American Standard doesn't really require any elbow grease to get the spots off, at least. I think we have slightly harder water here.

We did a remodel in 1999 and used American Standard satin finish (brushed nickel), the finish still looks beautiful. I had no idea that I should baby the fixtures so I used everything from 409 to Dow bathroom cleaner on it for over 7 years and never had a problem. Now we are building a new house and I was going to use Grohe brushed nickel in my master bath w/ Rohl brushed nickel. Now I am thinking I better stick with American Standard. I don't have the patience to baby a $1,000 tub faucet.

Anyone needs to be careful about using vinegar on metals; vinegar is a corrosive.

I just spoke with the guy at my plumbing supply store. He said that Grohe's brushed nickel is a pvd finish. He said that American Standard, Kohler, and Grohe all use the same pvd finishing machine. The machine manufacturer is out of Sweden and he has toured the Grohe & Kohler factories and has seen this machine in action. He said that the pvd brushed nickel finish is the same on all 3. He also said that Grohe is getting rid of its "satin" finish.

I just thought I would pass this along. I don't know about you guys, but now I am really confused! All I know is that I am going with a PVD finish because it is not as high-maintenance!

johnmari, mel71 & patricia43 ~ Thank you for your comments.
Anyone else have any long term experience with how their faucet fixtures have held up?
Please be sure to give brand name, thanks.

Bump ...

I wonder what the OP used to clean her fixtures with originally. I can understand the spots, but etching shouldn't occur with tap water, period.

The manufacturers KNOW these things will get wet, what they can't predict is when someone will get impatient and try to remove a calcium spot with toilet bowl cleaner.

Its actually something I worry about at my new house. I'm going to buy something like 'Flitz' for each bathroom, andt tell my cleaning lady [and everyone else] that this is the ONLY product allowed. If they come accross something it won't handle, they can come fetch me, and I'll deal with it.

And I'm going to keep an eagle eye out for anything more caustic, and try to keep it out of the house [or at least the bathrooms] entirely.

I use Bar Keepers Friend and it seems to get the water stains off without any problems. I have no idea if it's too strong but it hasn't done any damage yet.

Wondering if anyone can confirm that microfiber is a bad idea in this regards: seems very counter-intuitive...

We have Grohe in chrome--rain shower, handheld, thermostat, and 3 body sprays look beautiful after 2 years of daily use. We are horrible housekeepers, so I can't take any credit for this. I sometimes (like 3 times a year) spray them with the shower door spray cleaner and rinse them off. That's it.

I just ordered the Flitz thanks to the forum.
Donna

Anyone else with experience re water spots on their shower fixtures? Brand, finish, etc. ??

I'm gathering all of the parts for my remodel which will start in a few weeks. Started out with the idea of going for brushed nickel, loved the look. My plumbing supply salesman/owner talked me out of it despite the considerable higher price tag and I'm assuming higher profits. He has brushed nickel in his own home and said it's a bear to keep clean. His advise is chrome, which is what we're going for. Buying bath fixtures that need to be waxed to keep them looking good sounds like the definition of insanity to me.

I had a problem similar to some of the ones described above -- oil rubbed bronze shower fixtures (Home Depot's private label Pegasus brand) that developed water spots, where the lacquer finish was actually etched away by standing water droplets. Therefore, there were no "deposits" to remove using any of the metal cleaners. The fixtures were not replaceable without ripping out the wall and re-plumbing with a different brand.

HAPPY ENDING: I found an EXCELLENT company called Decorative Metal Finishing (http://decometalfinishing.com), which was able to easily and cost-effectively re-coat the fixtures with a beautiful, lustrous, yet highly robust powder coating that almost exactly matches the original patina. (They also can do the patina coatings, but powder coatings last up to three times longer.) I shipped the parts to them, and they took loving care of them, immediately e-mailing back a confirmation photo of everything they had received. They also sent me sample chips of coatings so that I could choose exactly which finish I wanted. Once choosing the coating, the turnaround was very fast -- less than a week.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this company for its professionalism, quality, speed, and tender loving customer care. Please ask for Alicia and tell her that happy customer Adele sent you!

(P.S. I'm protecting all bathroom fixtures from now on with a car wax. After testing several things, I've found Turtle Wax liquid to work even better than Gel Gloss, and it only needs application once in a great while.)

I'm using Flitz and I like it. I have a very wide faucet and pop up drain and the water just rolls off.
Donna

We are about to order the plumbing fixtures for our master bath and was planning to go with Grohe, either brushed nickel or Sterling finish. We have brushed nickel (different brand) in our kids bathroom. The light fixtures we purchased for the MB are more of a Sterling look. I decided to research here first and now I am not so sure. What should I do? We need the shower ensemble, double sink faucets, and tub filler setup. Can anyone recommend other brands without the issue of spotting?

How effective is car wax on brushed nickel bathroom tub/shower/sink fixtures? And, does it "yellow" the finish? A certain brand of car wax?

I too have new Grohe fixtures in my shower and we also have a water softener.
Water spots everywhere. I agree, this shouldn't happen to a high end fixture like Grohe. Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll try them.

I had the same problem on my Hansgrohe brushed nickel and will try the Flitz. I also have Krauss brushed nickel and those spots just wipe away with a cloth or sponge.
So disappointing to spend money on "good" faucets and have water spots! In the bathroom of all places!

IF you have "un-natural" i.e. ceramic or porcelain tiles, or Caesarstone you can use daily shower sprays that keep minerals from forming on your shower fixtures. I do, and only clean our shower once a year when I re-seal the grout. On our sinks, I use product called "Edfred Tile and shower cleaner" once a week.
It has phosphoric acid and those marks come off before your eyes. You rinse/wipe it immediately when you clean each week or whenever, so it won't mar the finish. I've used it in Grohe, KWS, and Moen different finishes for many years...like 20 years. Don't leave it on aluminum...learned that too over the years.

-Babka

Seriously? A revival of a 7 year old thread full of people don't who don't understand that hard water needs to be treated or you get water spots? Or that shiny finishes show it worse than brushed finishes? High school chemistry? Just think of the accumulated mineral deposits inside the pipes. Over time, it can take your water flow down worse than a restrictor in the valve will do.

If you have hard water, the solution isn't to try to clean off the deposits, it's to treat the water to remove the minerals that are causing the deposits.

BTW, NEVER use Barkeeper's Friend or any other acidic cleaner on a true nickel finish. It will damage it.

I think the different experiences different people are reporting may be mainly due to the different water hardness, not as much because one brand or finish is better than another. Sure, if the finish makes the water just run off, there is no water left to evaporate and leave its minerals behind. After my remodel, I always dry my shower and the fixtures off with the same towel I use. I also have a dedicated towel for drying out my new bathroom sink and its fixtures. Yes, it's a REAL bother but my fixtures still look brand new.

I don't know if they had Stainless Steel Magic 7 years ago, but if you spray it on a faucet, you're not getting water spots.

Pledge works to shine and protect brushed nickel finish according to Delta's own website.

Believe it or not, a clean damp soft rag and toothpaste worked wonders in removing those pesky white spots from our bathroom fixtures. After applying the toothpaste with the damp rag, i wipe it off using a different damp rag and voila! Clean, shiny and spotless!

We have hard water and we do use a water softener. Even so, the fixtures spot, maybe the salt from the softener? My new faucets (brushed nickel) are spotted too. But, in another bathroom I have chrome and that looks even worse with the spotting. I think the brushed finish shows it less than chrome. And although I don't have oil rubbed bronze, I would imagine that would be the worst of all. Years ago, we had brass and that not only spotted, but tarnished with black spotting. I try, when cleaning, to use distilled water to clean my fixtures but unless your family is diligent about wiping the fixtures dry after each use, you may be fighting a losing battle against the spotting. I wouldn't use straight vinegar to clean them, its highly acidic which to me, might cause corrosion. But I think I'll try some of the other products suggested here.

I just had installed a Delta "stainless brilliance" bath / shower faucet and trim kit which I was told twice was brushed nickel since that was what I was looking for. After 2 weeks installed it shows dark water spots (not white deposits) really bad, they wipe away easy and look good but after wiping but 1 shower they are back w/ a vengence. The other faucets in the house do not show water spots like this and I'm on city water and no one I have shown pictures to has seen this extent of problems. When I asked the plumber he said he hadn't either but Delta rep will blame it on your water and yep he sure did.. waiting for next response to be because my shampoo or such. bought at Fergusons at $283.00 per faucet and thought I was really buying a great faucet at a great supplier but not so sure and had purchased 3 more to replace in other baths but not so sure should have them installed..

Someone mentioned Flitz faucet cleaner and faucet wax. Of course I cannot find it locally. I'm going to order some online, its worth a try, as long as it doesn't damage the finish. It is so discouraging to see the water spots all over the faucets. It looks such a mess. We have hard water but use a softener, but there are probably other minerals, maybe lime and some others whichthe softener doesn't completely remove, and these could cause the spotting. Obviously, I realize it has to be our water, all I want is to find out how to clean it, and prevent more of them. Maybe its a losing battle...........

If you have hard water with high end metal fixtures, it can be a very difficult problem to keep them looking good. Most often the water supply coming into the home has some degree of hardness. Municipal water is treated for bacteria so it is save to drink, but municipal water, from my research, is usually not treated for hardness, so while it may be save to drink and cook with. it can still stain and etch the metal fixture. If you have well water, hard water/rust stains are almost inevitable. I have well water which was producing a build-up of hard water stains along with some rust and silt stains in the toilet and water marks and white mineral build-up on my new brushed nickel faucets. My solution was to install a Kinetico water softener system which has basically solved the problem. As an added per-caution I used the Flitz "Faucet Wax +" product to provide extra protection. The Flitz product, when applied, got rid of the water marks and evened out the finish. So at this point I'm happy with the solution I've found. Also with the softened water there is no more hard water staining and mineral build in the toilet bowl.

I had the same problem with my Hansgrohe polished nickle shower fittings. After forgetting to wipe the water dry after one use, the stubborn stains would not go away. I called the manufacturer several times and everytimes I had a different advise. First I tried blue original windex. Apprently Hansgrohe approves that product. it did not work. I also tried diluted vinegar, WD-40, as well as CLR (in diffent concentrations) none of them worked. I finally got a hold of Flitz multi purpose metal polish (in a tooth paste form) and it worked like a magic! Eventhough polished nickle was not one of the metals listed, but I decided to give it a try, since I was running out of options. Flitz is hard to find unless you buy it on line. I found mine in a kitchen and bath fixture shop. To prevent from happening the company recomands NuFinish (orange bottle only) .

here is what hansgrohe sent me:

To prolong the lifespan of your unit and keep it looking new we recommend the following care tips:
1. Regularly massage/rub the nodules on your hand shower/overhead shower/hand sprayer to keep water debris from accumulating on your water spouts.
2. Periodically soaking your unit in a 50/50 solution of warm water and CLR (Calcium, Lime, & Rust remover) for no longer than 10 minutes and then rinsing with fresh water. (this didnt work, But Flitz did)
3. Polish your unit with Flitz or NuFinish (only orange bottle).
4. Clean your unit with mild soap and water.


Refrain from cleaning your products with any of the following:
1. Vinegar
2. Anything acidic (even organic products that have acidic ingredients)
3. Anything "no rinse"

Grohe products are supposed to have a lifetime warranty, but anything other than wiping clean with a damp cloth and Grohe brand cleaner will void the warranty. Here are the cleaning tips from Grohe.com

CARE AND CLEANING TIPS:

Do:

• Clean the fixture with a little soap and a damp cloth then simply rinse off and wipe dry. You can prevent lime scale by drying the fitting after each use.

Don’t:

• Do not use abrasive sponges or scouring agents for cleaning.
• We also advise against the use of solvents or acidic cleaners, lime scale removers, household vinegar and cleaning agents containing acetic acid.

I had chrome Fortis fixtures in the last house. They spotted but were easy to clean off with 1x or 2x per week wipe downs. We had hard water.

In my new house I did Hansgrohe brushed nickel, thinking spots would be less noticeable. We have a water softener and the spots are much worse than our old chrome Fortis fixtures. Hansgrohe wasn't cheap either. I'll try some of the recommended stuff here.

Don't go and buy fancy and expensive metal cleaners. I used WD40 and oh my gosh instantly, my nickel finish faucets in the shower and sink areas were beautiful. I cleaned what I could on all of them and let them dry then just sprayed a little WD40 on a rag and gently wiped and spots and etching were gone!!!

I was so amazed.

Same problem with Grohe. Quality is not there. Sink and bath taps discoloured within a few months. Very

HU - sheesh! The discoloration on your faucets has nothing to do with the quality of the Grohe faucets, but with the hardness of your water or the wrong cleaning products. Have had a Grohe shower and four vanity faucets for 10+ years, they look like new.

Solution! Flitz Metal Polish!

My problem was that I had a brand new Delta brushed nickel tub spout and lever faucet. After just one use, it had dark water spots all over it that I could not remove.

I tried Windex and also vinegar, as the company recommends. Neither cleaner did any good at all. I contacted Delta, and amazingly, they sent me a brand new faucet. But I figured the problem would just happen again with the new faucet, so I did not install the new faucet.

We have a very expensive, well-maintained water softener, so i knew the spots were not from hard water. Plus, these spots were DARK Water spots, not white.

I read in this thread that people were talking about Flitz Metal Polish. I got a toothpaste sized tube, followed the instructions, and it removed ALL the water spots!! It looked like new again!!

Flitz claims to leave a wipeable finish, so I took a shower later that day and did NOT wipe the water off the fixtures afterward, but instead let the fixtures dry on their own. The next morning, I only saw a few very light spots, and they wiped off with a towel! Yay Flitz!

I worked in the kitchen and bath industry/remodeling industry for 20 years. Brushed nickel was always touted as being the answer to finger prints and water spots, much to everyone's disappointment. Chrome is much easier to keep looking fresh but also requires some attention. Try Stainless Steel Magic on your brushed nickel finishes. It sprays on, rub it to coat. Wait 5 minutes and then polish. It will leave a coating on the metal that will keep it looking good for a while. If you have 'good chrome', clean it as you normally would (no ammonia ever) and then wipe down with rubbing alcohol. Your chrome will sparkle! Now, I say good chrome, because there is cheap chrome out there that will never look good and will eventually fail. By fail, I mean the finish will bubble up and flake off. This is why people have turned away from chrome, because they have seen the cheap variety. A good deep plating of true chrome (not chrome paint) will be a workhorse of a finish and will last a lifetime.

New Grohe chrome shower unit stained with black water marks after a few days use. I wipe down every time but family and guests are not so reliable!

Water softener in situ.

Vinegar, lemon juice, WD 40 etc useless (these are not calcium deposits).

'Fitz' removed all marks in moments.

The chrome finish is not fit for purpose.

Well done Fitz.

We have all new Groehe chrome fittings in a wet room. Basin taps covered in water mark stains. We have water softner fitted so do not undertstand these marks which will not budge.